1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector used for electrically connecting a land grid array (LGA) integrated circuit (IC) module to a printed circuit board (PCB), and particularly to an electrical connector having a pair of reinforcement members. The invention relates to a copending application Ser. No. 10/453,224 with a title of xe2x80x9cELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH METAL STIFFENERSxe2x80x9d having the same applicants and the same assignee with the instant application.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An electrical connector used for electrically connecting an LGA IC module to a PCB is widely applied in the field of electronics, and a correlative article is found in Nonlinear Analysis Helps Design LGA Connectors (Connector Specifier, February 2001). Examples of this kind of electrical connector are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,192,213, 5,199,889, 5,232,372, 5,320,559 and 5,362,241.
Referring to FIG. 4, a conventional electrical connector 6 used for electrically connecting an LGA IC module 8 (not shown) to a PCB (not shown) comprises a housing 63 receiving a plurality of contacts 64 therein, an actuator lever 62 having an action portion 620 pivotably attached to one end of the housing 63, and a frame 65 hinged with an opposite end of the housing 63. The frame 65 is bent slightly at middle portions thereof, and further forms a sunken portion 650 at an end thereof. The frame 65 is used for pressing and fastening the IC module firmly on the housing 63. To fasten the IC module on the housing 63 of the electrical connector 6, the action portion 620 of the actuator lever 62 is actuated into the sunken portion 650. The action portion 620 presses the frame 65 on the IC module and the housing 63. Because the middle portion of the frame 65 is bent, a middle portion of the housing 63 is prone to warp, and the two ends of the housing 63 are prone to be distorted upwardly where the housing 63 joins with the frame 65 and actuator lever 62. Thus the housing 63 may partially detach from the PCB. When this happens, electrical connection between the LGA IC module 8 and the PCB may be impaired or even lost.
Hence, a new electrical connector having a reinforcement structure is desired to overcome the above-described disadvantages.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having an effective reinforcement structure to ensure reliable electrical connection between an IC module and a PCB.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, an electrical connector in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing receiving a plurality of contacts therein, an actuator lever assembled with the housing, a frame hinged with the housing and a pair of reinforcement members covering on the housing. The housing defines a pair of rail portions thereon and the reinforcement member defines a pair of guiding slots, which enables the reinforcement members to be mounted on the housing by means of sliding on the rail portions. The reinforcement members protect the housing from bending or distortion by the frame when the frame presses down on an IC module received in the housing. This facilitates reliable electrical connection between the IC module and a PCB on which the housing is mounted.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: